Fields of Faith: Theology and Religious Studies for the Twenty-First Century

by David F. Ford (Editor), Ben Quash (Editor), Janet Martin Soskice (Editor)

How will the study of theology and the religions in higher education be shaped in the coming century? This book offers several different perspectives on this field of study with suggestions for a future in which theology and religious studies are pursued together. There are examples of the interplay of theology and religious studies with reference to a range of topics: God, love, scripture, worship, argument, reconciliation, friendship and justice. The contributors practise different disciplines within the field, often in combination, covering theology, philosophy, history, phenomenology, literary studies, hermeneutics, politics, ethics and law. Their specialisms embrace Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Indian religions, with particular focus on the field in Europe, the US and South Africa. Recognising the significance of the religions and of higher education, the book explores what best practice can be adopted to fulfil responsibilities towards academic disciplines, the religions and the societies of which they are part.

250 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

David Frank Ford (born 23 January 1948, Dublin) is an academic and public theologian. He has been the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge since 1991. His research interests include political theology, ecumenical theology, Christian theologians and theologies, theology and poetry, the shaping of universities and of the field of theology and religious studies within universities, hermeneutics, and inter-faith theology and relations. He is the founding director of the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme and a co-founder of the Society for Scriptural Reasoning.